The prior art literature discloses a wide variety of clamps and clips for constricting flexible tubular members of many different types. In the surgical field many different types of vascular clamps and clips have been used by medical practitioners for quite some time. The use of hemostatic clips for tying off blood vessels in lieu of ligatures has become widespread in recent years. An example of a clip of this type is disclosed in Wood U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,628. Such hemostatic clips are manufactured in different sizes for application to blood vessels of varying size. The clips are formed of a nontoxic material which can be readily bent by a forceps-type applicator, and retain their bent shape when compressed about a blood vessel or other vascular structure. Most clips on the market at the present time are metallic, predominantly tantalum. The applicator is a simple forceps with grooves in the end of the instrument which hold the clip in place by friction.
The reliability of currently used vascular clips is often somewhat questionable. Slippage (migration) along the vessel frequently occurs. The clip ends may separate due to the pressure exerted by the fluid within the vessel, causing the clip to slide sideways off the vessel. The consequences of a clip failure can be quite serious.